SCIENCE

Focus of SCCS Middle School Science

Our privilege as a faith-based school is, in large part, to instill in students the wonder and awe of God's creation. The Middle School science program promotes a faith-based and scientific understanding of the amazing creation we are as humans, and the amazing creation we live and work within. We encourage students to develop habits of the mind that will enable them to make sense of the natural world that God created and the designed world that man has altered through his inventions and discoveries.

The work students do in our Middle School program is hands-on, collaborative, and built upon observation and problem solving. Equal emphasis is placed on developing knowledge of key science concepts and the ability to think critically and independently. Students encounter important concepts repeatedly, achieving a deeper understanding and a greater degree of skill with each encounter.

Our goals for SCCS Middle School graduates:

1. Gain insight into the way scientists go about their work;

2. Come to reach your own scientific conclusions;

3. Participate in collaborative activities and laboratory experiences; and

4. Apply prior knowledge and deepen your understanding of scientific concepts

through observation and data collection.

The science program at St. Croix Catholic Middle School strives to improve the student’s ability to understand the principles of scientific reasoning and make sensible decisions based on evidence, and promote the common good or the pursuit of knowledge through participation in the scientific universe.

Subject: Science-General Science

Embedded subjects: Observing, inferring, predicting, classifying, making models, communicating, measuring, calculating, creating data tables, and graphing.

Frequency of class: Every day, approximately 45 minutes

Grade: 6^th grade

Textbook(s): Prentice Hall: Science Explorer- “Motion, Forces, and Energy” and Macmillan/McGraw-Hill- “Electricity and Magnetism”

Methods of Assessment: Chapter tests, quizzes, homework, labs and projects.

Course Content:

Trimester 1

• Mapping Earth’s Surface
• Weathering and Soil Formation
• Erosion and Deposition

Trimester 2

• A Trip Through Geologic Time
• Electricity
• Magnetism

Trimester 3

• An Introduction to Matter
• Changes in Matter
• Elements and the Periodic Table

Subject: Science-Life Science

Embedded subjects: Observing, inferring, predicting, classifying, making models, communicating, measuring, calculating, creating data tables, and graphing.

Frequency of class: Every day, approximately 45 minutes

Grade: 7^th grade

Textbook(s): Prentice Hall: Science Explorer- “From Bacteria to Plants” and “Environmental Science”

Methods of Assessment: Chapter tests, quizzes, homework, labs and projects.

Course Content:

Trimester 1

• Living Things
• Viruses and Bacteria
• Protists and Fungi

Trimester 2

• Populations and Communities
• Ecosystems and Biomes
• Living Resources

Trimester 3

• Land and Soil Resources
• Introduction to Plants
• Seed Plants
  

Embedded subjects: Observing, inferring, predicting, classifying, making models, communicating, measuring, calculating, creating data tables, and graphing.

Frequency of class: Every day, approximately 45 minutes

Grade: 8^th grade

Textbook(s): Prentice Hall: Science Explorer- “Inside Earth” and “Weather and Climate”

Methods of Assessment: Chapter tests, quizzes, homework, labs and projects.

Course Content:

Trimester 1

• Plate Tectonic
• Earthquakes
• Volcanoes

Trimester 2

• Minerals
• Rocks
• The Atmosphere

Trimester 3

• Weather Factors
• Weather Patterns
• Climate and Climate Change